Are The Junos Relevant?

One of the major complaints music fans have always had is that awards shows aren’t relevant, or that they don’t reflect the current musical climate. Many of these people are, of course, just upset that their favourite artist wasn’t nominated, but they do have a valid point. Most awards shows are extremely safe, in both their choice of nominees and the artists they have performing at the show. They know what artists people have wanted to see in the past, or have sold millions of records, and bring them back year after year. The question is, are the Junos guilty of any of this, and are they relevant?

One of the main things Canada is known for throughout the world is our indie music scene, which is constantly innovative and sounds unlike anything else. We are also known for producing some of the most hated artists in the world, such as Nickelback and Justin Bieber. It says a lot about the stance of the Junos then, that Nickelback opened the show this year. They usually keep the performances Safe with a capital S. Hedley came on midway through playing a song that sounds like it could have been made by almost any artist in the last 20 years. It was among the most generic songs I have ever heard. Simple Plan, who were popular in 2003 but haven’t done anything of any merit in the last few years, performed a song that didn’t show any traces of their pop-punk roots, instead blatantly ripping off Jason Mraz and Bruno Mars’ recent hits. Deadmau5 ‘performed’ his usual dull-as-dishwater dance music with no defining characteristics. But, strangely, the Junos also have another, more adventurous side. The third performance of the night was a medley of comparatively unheralded Canadian artists performing snippets of songs, such as Dragonette, Mia Martina, and JRDN. This was arguably the highlight of the show, with the exception of Alyssa Reid, who looked and sounded like she belonged in a karaoke bar in Barrie, Ontario. Elsewhere, Feist and City and Colour restored people’s faith in good, soulful music, and Hey Rosetta! were the token indie rock band. The Junos have always tried to have one new and/or ‘cult’ band perform every year, who in the past have been names such as The Sadies and The Rural Alberta Advantage, but the obvious question this year was why were Hey Rosetta! playing instead of Dan Mangan? Mangan was nominated for four awards, and won two, so why were a band who were only nominated for one award chosen instead of him? Such things will remain a mystery. Speaking of the awards, they are one place where the Junos definitely are relevant. With the bizarre exception of Michael Buble’s Christmas album winning Album of The Year, the winners of the awards were definitely spot on.

So, to conclude this article, the Junos manage to straddle a thin line between being safe and being relevant, without really committing to one side. This is something that many other awards shows would kill to be able to pull off, such as the Grammys and the BRITs, which both ceased to be relevant years ago.

-Scott Kendall